Railway switching and signaling apparatus.



No. 759,327. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

J. D. TAYLOR. RAILWAY SWITCHING AND SIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.25, 1901.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor,

'PATENTBD MAY 10, 1904.

J. '1). TAYLOR. RAILWAY SWITCHING ANDMSIGNALING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.25, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H0 MODEL.

M a A wa 0v n aw 7 0 wN I l mwm wsg

No. 759,327. Patented May 10, 1904..

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN TAYLOR, OF BUFFALO, NEl/V'YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TAYLOR SIGNAL COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

RAILWAY SWITCHING AND SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 759,327, dated May 10, 1904. Application filed October 25, 1901. Serial No. 79,918. (No model.) i

To (1/574wh0m it y concern: the motors to the battery, which wire also Be it known that I, J OHN D. TAYLOR, a citiserves to carry current back from all indica- 50 Zen of the United States, residing in the city tion-magnets to their respective motors. of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of In my system I employ two wires between the 5 New York, have invented certain new and usecabin and each switch-motor, besides the comful Improvements in Railway Switching and neon wire, and in the movement of the switch- SignalingApparatus, of which the following is rail in one direction one of these wires is op- 5 5 a full, clear, and exact description. crating-wire and the other is inclicationqvire. This invention relates to that class of appa- In moving the rail in the opposite direction 'ratus'in which railway switches and signals are this condition is reversedthat is, the wire controlled and operated by electricity as the formerly operating is now indication wire and motive power. I I the wire formerly indication-wire is now open This invention relates, furthermore, to cerating-wire. In the case of the signal one wire tain improvements upon my previous invenonly is used. This is operating-wire when I 5 tions, clearly shown and described in my prethe signal is reversed or cleared and indivious patents, N 0. 605,359, June 7 1898, recation-wire when the signal is put normal. issued as No. 11,983, May 6, 1902, and No. As no locking in the interlocking machine has 681,589, August 27, 1901, and employs the opto be released on clearing the signal, no indierating mechanism therein disclosed and cation-wire is necessary then, and as the sig- 20 shown in the drawings, and in addition therenal is returned to normal or danger by to. employs an electromagnetic device for gravitation no operating-wire is needed in breaking. the circuit hereinafter described, putting the signal to normal. 7 wh1ch is of ordinary and well-known construc- I attain the above-mentioned results by so tIon, requlrlng no further illustration. constructing the circuit-controller on the 1n- 25 The object oi this invention is, broadly and terlocking machine that the connections bein general, to prevent a cross between any wire tween the indication-wire and the common leading from any pole of the battery with any wire are not broken by the final movement other wireleading to the opposite pole. More of the lever after indication. As this indicaspecifically, it is to prevent a cross between a tion-wire is the one that would next beeper- 3 wire in active connection with the source of ative by reason of its being in electrical conenergy with another wire leading to a switch, nection with the switch for signal motor, as or signal motor, causing the movement of the the case may be, a cross between this wire switch or signal when not desired; also, to preand any active wire would cause a current to vent the same. accident occurring from a flow back through this indication-wire and 3 5 broken commonreturn-wire whenthe same the indication-magnet. to the battery. The is employed, as Will be hereinafter fully deindication and safety magnets herein referred scribed. W to and indicated as 29", 29, and 30 are the 5 For convenience of description I will desindication and safety magnets fully shown ignate as control-wire any wire used for and described in my Patent No. 752,127, Feb- 4 conveyingeurrent from the source of supply ruary .16, 1,904. In my said former patent, a storage-battery, for instance, in the cabin No. 605,359, reissued No. l1 ,983,atuse placed to a switch or signal motor, as indicationin thewire leading from the positive end of 9 wire any wire used for conveying the curthe battery was depended on to prevent bad rent generated by a switch or signal motor resdlts by blowing beforethe much smaller 45 when running as generator from the said moamount of current passing through a switch tor to its corresponding indication or releas- ,orsignalmotor and returning to battery by ing magnet inthe cabin, and as common ,theqcommon wire could have time to effect its wire the wire leading current back from all movement. This arrangement in itself would be in most cases suflicient protection against crosses, providing the cross is a metallic connection between the two wires, but might not be if the cross had considerable resistance, and might not be even with a metallic cross if there is considerable resistance in the wires themselvesv between the cabin and the point signal that should not be moved.

' (shown in Fig. 1) has two windings.

In this improvement I avoid any danger from a broken common wire, as well as protect against a cross of any nature whatever, byusing a combination with the above-named construction of a circuit-controller either a differential magnet or a polarized magnet cut into the wire connecting all the indicationmagnets with the common wire.

In the drawings herewith I have shown two different constructions.

In Figure 1 I have shown a differential magnet having its releasing-coil in the wire connecting all the indication-magnets with the common wire. In Fig. 2 I have shown a polarized relay having its coils in the said wire.

The functions are identical in the two constructions and the one device is the equivalent of the other, mechanically speaking. I am enabled to do this by virtue of the condition that all currents passing to the negative pole of the battery, from whatever source, flow in one direction through the common wire of which the releasing-coil of the diflerential magnet forms a part or of which the coils of the polarized relay form a part, as the case maybe, and any current from the battery due to a cross between any two wires and which would in every case come back to battery through the wire containing said releasing-coil or said relay-coils would flow in the opposite direction.

Since the use of the differential magnet is the simpler construction, I will briefly describe it and also describe the polarized relay. I will then describe the circuits in connection with the polarized relay, since such description will be suflicient to show the use of the differential magnet as well. This differential magnet One (shown at 51) is the retaining-coil, connected permanently to the source of energy. The other winding (shown at 47) is the releasingcoil, inserted in the negative common in the sameposition as the coils 4.7 of the polarized relay shown in Fig. 2 would be if it were used instead. A current due to a cross circulates in this releasing-coil and produces a magnetic effeet that neutralizes the efiect of the retainingcoil, and thus permits thespring to act and reverse the switch 39. The magnetic efiects of this releasing-coil 47, due to proper currents, are of the same sign as that produced by the retaining-coil 5'1, and the switch is not released thereby.

I will now describe the relay shown in Fig. 2. The lever or tongue of this relay and the stop which limits its movements in one direction, and which may be called the active stop, control the flow of current from any constant source, preferably the main battery, through the coils of an electromagnet, which magnet in turn controls a circuit-breaker consisting of two electrically-independent arms and contacts in such manner that when the magnet is energized the arms are held against the contacts, and when the magnet is deenergized the arms are drawn away from the contacts by means of a spring to such a distance that they must be replaced by hand. In other words, the electromagnet and electric switch-arms constitute a magnetic circuit-breaker of the underload type. One of the independent switches of the circuit-breaker is cut into the wire leading from the positive end of the battery to the various controllers of themachine. (I use the terms positive and negative in speaking of the battery merely for convenience.) The other switch is cut into thesame wire with the coils of the polarized relay-that is, the wire leading from all the indication-magnets to the common wire. The first-named switch cuts off the battery from all operating-wires and from the wire which might happen to be crossed with one of them, thus preventing a false movement in case the cross exists. The second-named switch cuts off all indicationmagnets from all motors, thus preventing the current induced. in the field-coils of a motor, due to its being deenergized by the opening of the first-named switch, from flowing through the corresponding indication-magnet and givingafalse indication. It is not necessary, however, to employ a double switch. A single switch, as shown in Fig. 1, is suflicient for all ordinary purposes; but in specific cases, as hereinafter described, the interposition of a switch in negative common is desirable.

The tongue of the polarized relay is held normally against the active stop by a spring or by its own weight, and the connections are so made that the indication currents flow through its coils in such direction as to tend to hold the tongue against the active stop; but any current from the battery flowing back through this relay due to a cross between any two wires will cause the tongue to'be thrown away from the active stop, thus breaking the circuit through the coils-of the magnetic circuit-breaker, allowing the arms of the electricswitch to be drawn away from their respective contacts by means of the spring connected to them, whereby current is cut off from the crossed wires and from the switch or signal motors connected to them.

To describe the operation more minutely, I will trace some of the circuits shown in the diagram of Fig. 2, both inthcir normal working condition and the new circuits established by connecting or crossing some of these wires with other wires. The various switches and signals represented in this diagram are shown in what maybe termed their normal position. Suppose we have a train at D moving toward E. The switch B is normal for this track and remains so for this movement. It will be necessary to reverse the signal A. To do this, the corresponding lever in the interlocking machine is drawn out, carrying with it the circuit-controller brush 13. In the new position of the lever this brush bridges across the space between the contact-pieces 10 and 11, thus closing the circuit of the battery 36, so that current flows through wires 37 38, switch-arm 39, contact 41, wires 43 44 45, fuse 19, contact 11, brush 13, contact 10, wire 6, armature 1, field-coil 2, wires 7 8, contact 3, contact-springs 5, contact 4, wires 9 34 35 back to battery 36. This energizes the motor 1, causing it to pull the signal-arm A into the safety position. At or near the final part of the movement the springs 5 are drawn away from the contacts 3 and 4 by the mechanism operating the signal; but the break thus made in the circuit is shunted by the brake-magnet 20, which holds the signal in its clear position. If while the signal is being put into the clear position or while it is being retained in that position a cross existed between the wires 6 and 14, which would give another path for the current from the wire 6, through the cross represented by the dotted line, through wire 14, contact 7, switch-arm 4, wire 9, armature 1", wire 10, switch-arm 3, contact 8, wire 12", contact 6, wire 11, fields of switch motor 2, wires 13 34 35 back to battery 36. If this last-named current could be continued, the switch B would be partially or wholly reversed in the face of the approaching train and cause either the derailment of the train or its being switched over to another track.

The improvement herein described provides a means for interrupting the last-described current instantly in the following manner: A third path is provided whereby current that reaches the wire 14 on account of its being crossed with the wire 6 is carried back through the wire 14, contact 16, brush 19, contact 18, wires 24 27 indication-magnet 29, wires 57 56, contact 42, switclrarm 40,w'ire 46, coils of the polarized relay 47, wires 48 and 49 back to the battery 36. This-current is in such direction through the polarized relay as to throw the tongue 54 away from the active stop 53, thus interrupting the current which normally flows from the battery 36 through wires 37 50, magnet 51, wire 52, stop 53, tongue 54, wires 55 and 49 to the battery 36. The breaking of this last-named circuit deenergizes the magnet 51, and the switch-arms 39 and 40 are free to be drawn from their respective contacts by the spring. By this means the current is cut ofi from the switch-motor 1 instantly, and before it has even had time to start the armature to rotate. The breaking of the circuit between the switch-arm 39 and contact 41 also interrupts the current flowing through the signal-brake magnet 20 and this causes the signal to return to normal position, or if the cross had existed at the time of reversing the signal-lever the current would have been cut off from the signal-motor before it could clear thesignal. The signal standing at the nor mal or danger position, however, is not a dangerous condition, as the worst it can do is to stop a train unnecessarily. Again, suppose we wish to let a train at F into the side track G, which movement requires the reversal of the switch C. To effect the reversal of this switch, we reverse the corresponding lever in the interlocking machine which moves the brushes 19 and 20, so that they bridge the contacts 16 17 22 23, respectively. This closes the circuit of the battery 36, so that current flows through the wires 37 38, switcharm 39, contact 41, wire 43, fuse 31, safetymagnet 30, wires 28 26, contact 17 brush 19, contact 16, wire 14, contact 7, switcharm 4, wire 9", armature of motor 1, wire 10, switch-arm 3, contact 8, wires 12 11, heldcoils 2, wires 13 and 35 back to the battery 36. This causes the rotation of the switchmotor armature 1 and through the gearing connecting it to the switch -rails moves the rails into the reversed position. When the track-switch is completely home and locked, the electric switch, consisting of the arms 3 4 and the contacts 5, 6, 7, and 8, is reversed in position-that is, the arms 3 and 4 are separated from the contacts 8 and 7 respectively, and put into connection with the contacts 5 and 6, respectively. The reversal of this electric switch stops the driving current through the switch-motor by the separation of the arms 4 from the contact 7 and. a new circuit is established, including the motor and the indication-magnet, so that the continued rotation of the armature due to momentum generates a current which flows from the armature 1 through the wire 9, arm 4, contact 6, wire 11, lield-coils 2", wires 13" 35 49 48, coils of the polarized relay 47, wire 46, switch-arm 40, contact 42, wire 56, indication-magnet 29", wire 27, contact 23, brush 20, contact 22, wire 15, contact 5, arm 3", wire 10 back to the armature 1. It will be IIO seen from this that the indication-current flows through the polarized relay 47 in the opposite direction to the one previously described as coming from the battery through the cross between the wires 6 and 14. Consequently this indication-current has no effect on the tongue of the polarized relay and does not cause the opening of the circuit-breaker 39 40. But suppose that at the time of the reversal of the lever corresponding to the switch C a cross had existed between the wires 14 and 14". Current would have flowed from the wire 14 through the cross and through the motor of .swltch B in the same manner as before described in reference to the cross between the wires 6 and 14". Current would also flow from the wire 14 through the cross, wire 14, contact 16, brush 19, contact 18", wire 24", wire 2", indication-magnet 29, wires 57 56, contact 42, switch-arm 40, wire 46, coils of polarized relay 47, wires 48 and 49 back to the battery 36. This branch of the current flows through the polarized relay in the proper direction to throw its tongue away from the active stop, which causes the opening of the circuit-breaker 39 40, thus cutting off the current from both the motors 1 and 1.

The opening of the circuit-breaker 39 4O occurs so nearly instantaneously after the reversal of the switch-lever corresponding to the switch C that the part of the current which finds its way to the switch-motor 1" is of such short duration as not to effect any movement of said motor. The importance of this improvement can be easily seen if we suppose that at the time we wish to move a train from F to G another train is moving from D to E and in attempting to reverse the switch C the I switch B is moved from its normal position, a collision between the two trains would probably result, and as it can be seen that without this improvement an accidental cross between two wires could. effect the movement of the switch B the utility of the improvement is ap parent.

To show the purpose of the part of the automatic circuit breaker, consisting of the switch-arm 40 and the contact 42, we will suppose a cross to exist between the wires 14 and 15. Then upon the reversal of the lever corresponding to the switch C, as before described, current will flow from the battery 36 through the wires 37 38, switch-arm 39, contact 41, wire 43, fuse 31, safety-magnet 30, wires 28 26, contact 17 brush 19", contact 16, wire 14 through the cross to the wire 15, contact 22, brush 20, contact 23,wire 27, indication-magnet 29, wire 56, contact 42, switcharm 40, wire 46, coils 47 of the polarized relay, wires 48 and 49 back to the battery36. This current flows through the polarized relay in such direction as to cause the opening of the circuit-breaker 39 40, thus cutting off the current. Although this is done instantly,

still if the cross had some appreciable resistance current would reach the motor of the switch C for long enough time to magnetize the field-magnets, and the stopping of the current by the opening of the circuit-breaker causes the field-magnets to lose their magnetism.

The decrease of the magnetism in the fieldmagnets tends to induce a current in the coils 2 surrounding them, which would flow in practically the same circuit (since the wires 14 and 15 are connected by the cross before described) as induced by the rotation of the armature after the switch had been moved home and locked, and it would affect the indicationmagnet 29 in the same manner, thus giving an indication that the switch had been properly moved home and locked. As the switcharm 40 is placed 'in the indication-circuit, its being drawn away from the contact 42 prevents this induced current reaching the indication-magnet. v

In tracing the circuits as above upon the diagram of Fig. 1 it will be noted that the only difference is that the current from the negativecommon 56 passes directly to thereleasing-coil 47 and thence to the wire 48 instead of through the contact 42, arm 40, wire 46, relay-coils 47, and wire 55 to the wire 48; also, that the permanent connections of the retaining-coil 51 do not pass through the tongue and stop of the polarized relay. Otherwise the circuits are identical. I

I believe the principles herein involved to be both novel and generic, and I therefore do not wish to limit myself to the construction or diagram of circuits; but

I claim, broadly, as follows:

1; A source of electric energy,v electricallyactuated mechanism, an electromagneticallycontrolled switch, a wire connected to one pole of said source of energy, a wire including the releasing-coil of the electromagnet controlling said switch having one end connected to the other pole of said source of energy, said switch in one of said wires whereby, when said two wires are crossed, saidswitch will be opened, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A source of electric energy, a motor, an electromagnetically-controlled switch, a wire connected to one pole of said source of energy through said switch, a wire including the releasing-coil of the electromagnet controlling said switch having one end connected to said motor and the other end connected to the other pole of said source of energy whereby,

when said two wires are crossed, said switch will be opened and cut off the current from said first-mentioned wire, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. 7

3. In combination with a source of electric energy, a motor, an indication-circuit, an electromagnetically-controlled switch having its "releasing-coil in the indication-circuit, an opcrating-circuit including said switch, whereby, in the-event of a cross between the indicating and operating wires said switch will be opened and cut the current from the operating-circuit, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a combination with controllers, switch and signal apparatus, operating-circuits and indication-circuits, a conductor common to all operating and indication circuits, a switch capable of breaking all operating-circuits, and electrically-controlled mechanism in said conductor common to all indication-circuits governing said switch, whereby, in the event of a cross between any operating and indication wire said controlling mechanism will open said switch, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In an electric switching and signaling system, mechanism for preventing a false movement or indication, comprising operating and indication circuits, a source of energy for the operating-circuits, motors in said indicationcircuits, a conductor common to all operating and indication circuits, a conductor common to all indication-circuits, a switch in the operating-circuit, a switch in the indication-circuit, and electromagnetic mechanism having its releasing-coil in the conductor common to all indication-circuits and governing both of said switches, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In an electric switching and signaling system, circuit-controllers and switch and signal operating apparatus governed thereby, operating-circuits, a source of energy for said operating circuits, indication circuits, motors capable of being closed in said indication-circuits, a conductor common to all operating and indication circuits, a conductor common to all indication-circuits, a polarized relay the coils of which form a part of said conductor common to all indication-circuits, a magnet governed by said polarized relay, a switch included in all operating-circuits, a switch included in all indication-circuits, said switches being governed immediately by said magnet and immediately by said polarized relay, substantially as described for the purpose of opening all operating and indication circuits in the event of a cross between any operating-wire and any indication-wire, and thus preventing the movement of any switch or signal involved or any indication therefrom while the cross exists.

7 In an electric switching and'signaling system, in combination with circuit-controllers,

operating-circuits and indication-circuits, motors and indication-magnets and a source of energy for said operating-circuits, a conductor common to all operating and indication circuits, a conductor common to all indication circuits, a polarized relay having its coils a part of said conductor common to all lndication-circuits, said conductor common to all incross between any operating-wire and any indication-wire a current will flow in reverse direction in the coils of said polarized relay causing it to break the circuit including said magnet and. thereby causing said switches to break both operating and indication circuits, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In an electric switching and signaling system, switch and signal operating apparatus, circuit-controllers, a source of energy, operating-circuits connecting said apparatus through said controllers, indication-magnets, indication-circuits connecting said indicationmagnets with the motors of said apparatus, means for energizing said magnets by said motors, a conductor common to all operating and indication circuits, a conductor common to all indication-circuits, a polarized relay having its coils a part of the common indication-conductor, switches, a magnet controlling said switches, said switches normally held closed by said magnet energized through a circuit including said magnet and the tongue of said relay with a battery, one of said switches being a part of a conductor common to all indication-circuits and the other switch a part of a conductor common to all operating-circuits, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. In an electric switching and signaling system, switch and signal apparatus, a source of energy,operating-circuits,indication-circuits, indication-magnets, switches in said operating-circuits and said indication-circuits held normally closed, a wire common to all cir cuits, a wire common to all indication-circuits, electromagnetic means for releasing said switches the releasing-coil of which forms a part of the conductor common to all indication-circuits, and circuit-controllers holding their respective indication-circuits normally closed, whereby in the event of a cross of any indication and operating wire, said electromagnetic device is actuated to release said switches, thereby opening all operating and indication circuits, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. In an electric switching and signaling system, switch and signal apparatus, a source of energy, operating-circuits, indication-circuits, indication-magnets, switches in said operating and indication circuits, a magnet controlling said switches said switches normally held IIO 10 said polarized relay cuts out said magnet governing said switches and said switches open all operating and indication circuits, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set' my hand, in the presence of two subscribing 5 witnesses, this 12th day of October, 1901.

JNO. D. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

A. WV. PLUMLEY, E. C. RIsoHMAN. 

